The world reeled in the wake of the touchdown. Whistles blared, people shrieked, and tigers roared.
Ty lay on his back, staring up at the lights, whilst tens of thousands of people celebrated his enemy's triumph. He laughed.
Elliot had never shown anything like that, not in any of the film he'd watched. That meant Elliot was playing better than ever before, trying his hardest. Of course the Tigers hadn't been trying in their other games. All decided by one score, yet they were undefeated throughout the season? They were keeping up appearances, not truly struggling. Despite all those close games, nobody had ever pushed Elliot like Ty had in less than a half.
'I'm going to crush you,' Ty hissed.
Elliot stood over him, staring down at him. He offered Ty a hand. Ty slapped it away, standing on his own. He stared up at Elliot, eyes wide, showing mostly whites.
'You hear me, with those big ears, Dumbo? You're going to play better than you ever have in your entire pathetic life, and I'm going to crush you.'
'You are a true monster, aren't you, Tyrese? No wonder They abandoned someone like you.'
'Fuck you! You can take all your bullshit with you. Make as much luck as you want. I'll destroy it on my own! NOTHING and NOBODY stands equal to me.'
Elliot frowned, turning away from Ty, returning to his own team. The Tigers' offence hadn't left the field yet, a discussion still ongoing. Ty glared at them. "I'm not afraid. I'm not beaten." Elliot glanced back, then at the scoreboard, and finally at the dome's ceiling and beyond. Coach Barnum watched the on-field huddle, waiting on them to make the call to go for one or two.
Elliot leading the way off the field made the decision clear. Even if it seemed the less rational, Coach Barnum followed it. Elliot had seen something he didn't like, and Coach Barnum trusted his intuition—it hadn't led them wrong yet.
After a successful extra point attempt, the Tigers' lead stretched almost to two touchdowns, at 0–13. Half-time, and the mental reset it offered, couldn't come fast enough for the Dons, though the two-minute warning was still to come.
Not all hope was lost, however, as the Dons had the ball with one last opportunity to score before the half. Even if it was only a field goal, going into the half with any amount of points would be exponentially better than none.
Chris continued his aggression on the kick return, though the Tigers tightened their pursuit, and prevented his return from extending further than the 26-yard line.
'Stay calm!' Coach Long said as the Dons' offence ventured onto the field. Both sides still had all their timeouts for the half. And though the next play—unless it was an incompletion—would take the game to the two-minute warning, there was still plenty of time left for a touchdown drive. Yet that meant there was plenty of time to hand the ball back to the Tigers and leave them with another opportunity to score.
Entering the half-time break down thirteen would be bad enough, anything more than that would be disastrous. Coach Long had to avoid that at all costs. So the first play of the Dons' drive was a run up the gut.
Chris slashed through a more relaxed defence, weaving through the Tigers for a gain of 6 yards. The middle of the field was more open; more Tigers had dropped back into coverage. They didn't see running as a threat.
During the short timeout before the final two minutes of the half, Coach Long was still contemplating the Dons' game plan. The offence they'd been using so far, a "death by a thousand cuts" style, could take too long in the two-minute drill. But they needed to score. How else could they move the ball safely?
The Dons ran again, sending Chris wide. He arched around the edge, stretching across the marker as he was brought down, earning another first down for the Dons, giving them space to breath.
Coach Long called timeout, needing the clock stopped, and more time to think. With just under two minutes to go, there was plenty of time for the Dons to score and wrestle the margin back to something reasonable. The offence returned to the bench for the second time in under a minute, tension building in them.
'Coach, we need to trust our boys,' Coach Norman said.
'I think you're right. If we can enter the half while only down one score, that'd be just the momentum swing we'd need to turn this game around.'
Benny was still on blocking duty, buying more time for Jay, and even Chris was kept back as the last line of defence, with orders that he could sprint out into an Angle route if there was no blitz.
The Dons would have to go for chunk plays, rather than dink and dunk their way down the field like usual. Stephen would be watched close, same for the sidelines. Space would be available in the middle. And it was.
When the drive resumed, Amon snagged the first catch. A Safety over the top prevented Stephen from working down the sideline, but on the opposite side of the field Cole provided the distraction on a Corner whilst Amon cut in. The Tigers weren't sending extra pressure, so Chris could leak out as well, drawing the LBs down for Amon to sneak in behind them.
The Dons saved their timeout, hurrying to the line to get the next play started right away. The blitz came, but Chris held strong and kept the pressure off Jay. Cole was the next target, faking an Out before turning into a Post route, getting the space he needed, Jay hit him in stride for a 15-yard gain.
Blasting past half-field and nearing the red-zone, the Dons called timeout. That area of the field had been full of land mines so far. Each time they looked like scoring was where the problems emerged.
'Take it easy,' Coach Long urged. 'Slow down, take a breath, make the right decision. If we strike back now, we won't be hitting them on just the scoreboard, but their confidence, too.'
The Dons could feel the electricity in the air, sparking off their fingertips, their toes. If they could just get that first touchdown, the game would be irrevocably changed. Jay just had to find the right target, to not get surprised by the blitz.
He scanned the Tigers' defence as both teams lined up. They all looked ready to pounce, but none were edging forward and showing their hand early. No, they kept their cards close to their chest. Anyone, or no-one, could've been the danger man.
He called for the snap, taking the ball and dropping back. No pressure came, the four at the front were all the Tigers sent. The rest dropped back to cover the Receivers. Stephen was still drawing extra attention, the other sideline was heavily covered too, and the MLBs dropped back to hold off the middle. That left Chris underneath.
Jay waited for him to come open then dumped the pass off, firing it through a maze of raised hands attempting to block it at the line. Chris caught the ball, turned, cut through traffic and fought for every yard even as he plummeted towards the ground. A fist came in, punching the ball loose.
'FUMBLE!'
A mad scramble enveloped the centre of the field. Players desperately flung their bodies in the path of the ball, colliding with each other, stacking upon one another. The pile grew, a clawing, writhing, clinging mass of limbs, pads, and helmets. Whistles shrieked, excited, anxious screams were cut-off half way. The world held its breath.
Officials pulled bodies off the pile, uncovering the hidden truth one nervous boy at a time. The closer to the bottom they got, the more excited the Tigers became. Their early celebrations spoiled the secret—the Tigers had recovered the ball.
'Give me a goddamn break,' Coach Norman said, hands on his head.
Coach Long hung his shaking head. 'Lord, give me strength.'
Ty slammed a fist against the bench, standing up. Coach Hoang frowned, watching him stomp onto the field. If Ty grew any more heated, he'd start steaming under the lights. He just hoped Ty got his head out of his ass and put his anger to good use. 'When it rains it pours,' he muttered to himself.
Bella chewed on a nail, watching the defence drag themselves back onto the field.
Chris was still apologising as Ty brushed past the offence. Apologies began anew when the rest of the defence passed over them like a wave. After looking hopeful, thinking they could get the lead down, it was now the defence's job to keep the deficit from growing.
The Tigers still had all their timeouts, and with over a minute to go, they could work quickly enough to find the end-zone again if the cards continued to fall their way. Based on how the game had gone so far, that looked increasingly likely.
Ty knew he was all that stood in their way. The rest of the defence would do their job, they'd figured out the Tigers. It was just down to him and Elliot, the blind monk.
Elliot loomed above Ty, standing at his full height, glaring down his nose at the crouching Don. 'You're a poison, Tyrese. Your bad karma has infected all those around you.'
'Karma this, luck that—fate, destiny, football gods—I don't care about any of it! There's only one thing that controls what happens on MY football field and that's ME.'
'That resilience is admirable, but misguided. I'll make you see the error of your ways, Tyrese, even if I have to shatter your spirit.'
Elliot's eyes fell shut, and the ball was snapped. Ty's spear landed a glancing blow across Elliot's shoulder as he slid inside. Ty turned with him as they ran back. Elliot's stride hitched, then he burst forward; Ty followed.
Going for a deep ball was too obvious, they wouldn't try it, not without some kind of trick. The next obvious route was some sort of Curl or Comeback. Ty pounced early. Elliot almost turned into him, but stopped, switching back and slanting towards the sideline.
Ty was wrong-footed again. A Corner was the best of both worlds, gaining a lot of yards, but saving a timeout, he should've known. His early jump gave him a good base to push off from, and he was back on the chase, already closing as the ball was thrown.
Elliot's hands came up, his head still facing the wrong way, as if there were eyes on the back of his helmet. Ty crushed his mouthguard and leapt, one hand outstretched. Fingertips grazed the ball once, then twice, bouncing from Ty's hand, to Elliot's, and then the ground.
Elliot pulled up short, staring at the ball tumbling on the turf. Ty picked himself up, huffing loudly. 'Your luck's run out, Dumbo. You better learn how to fly if you want to beat me.'
Elliot chuckled softly. He said nothing as he returned to the Tigers' huddle. Ty was a fascinating opponent, but one that would learn many lessons by the time Elliot was done with him. Primary of all being that luck wasn't finite.
The Tigers took their time setting up for the next play as the clock had stopped due to the incompletion. Ty stared up at Elliot's closed eyes, trying to stare a hole right through his eyelids. 'Open your eyes and face the truth. You can't beat me!'
The ball was snapped. Ty's spear was crushed back by two hammers that slammed into Ty's chest, knocking him aside. A Draw play tricked the whole stadium as the RB burst ahead freely, skipping along the turf and picking up his best run of the day at 12 yards.
A timeout was called, allowing the teams a brief respite. Coach Hoang reiterated that the sideline wasn't the only thing the Dons needed to protect, and that the Tigers would try EVERYTHING to score another touchdown.
With the message in mind, and determined to make up for their mental lapse, the Dons' defence stormed back onto the field.
They stayed down after the next snap, waiting, making sure it wasn't another Draw—it wasn't. Instead, the RB slipped out to the flat, pulling another defender away from the middle. Ty marked Elliot closely, even after getting tripped up by a feint outside, he recovered quickly and left no room for the deep shot the Tigers wanted.
But the TE alleviated pressure by slipping in past the middle. A shift outside before cutting back in drew the defenders out of position just enough, and Travis squeezed the pass in between Zayden and JJ, though the TE got squished between those same two Dons shortly after the catch.
With under a minute to go, another timeout was called. Repeated messages were hammered back into place within both Tiger and Don skulls. Throughout the short break, JJ's eyes followed the Tigers' TE.
The teams returned to the field, anticipation building the more time ticked away. The Dons were on edge, desperately clinging on, whilst the Tigers were desperately pushing them over. One side had to give, and in less than a minute, they'd find out which.
The ball was snapped. Elliot angled in, brushing aside Ty's spear. He straightened, running hard, hesitated, floating for a moment, he burst ahead a step, stuttered, then shifted out for another Corner. Ty backed away, almost slipping when he had to push off and follow Elliot's real cut inside. But he was there, close enough that if the ball came, he could dive across it and intercept.
Travis's eyes drifted to the TE who cut across the field opposite of Elliot. Travis fired the ball in underneath. JJ, who'd left his zone, pounced, knocking the TE down just as the ball reached his hands. The ball was flung skywards, continuing past JJ and the TE, tumbling towards Elliot.
Even with his eyes closed, Elliot's adjustment came before Ty's. They both dove, but Elliot was inches ahead, stretching out for the ball and getting his hands to it first. They slid across the ground together, but it was another catch for Elliot, again off a tipped pass, just when Ty felt he was getting the better of their duel.
The Tigers hurried to the Line, and the Dons hurried too, leaving Ty no time to worry about how Elliot had known where the ball would fall. "How?" was the question repeating endlessly in his head as Travis spiked the ball, stopping the clock at the cost of a down.
Ty shook the question from his head. The answer didn't matter. Not at that moment. All that mattered was stopping Elliot.
The two lined up from one another. The Tigers were on the edge of field goal range after the last catch. It was clear they wanted more, but with only one timeout remaining, they needed to be careful of the clock.
The ball was snapped, Ty backed off, watching Elliot closely. 10 yards later the stutter-steps began. Ty watched. Outside was the best option for the Tigers, something where Elliot could step out and stop the clock.
"No. Stop. Don't predict. You can't when even he doesn't know where he's going. Watch. Feel. Flow."
A big step outside was made to bait Ty, he leaned, but didn't follow. The sharp cut in was convincing, but not the real target. Ty opened his hips, and when Elliot burst forward, he was right on top of him.
Elliot's eyes shot open in alarm. Ty grinned but looked beyond him, finding the ball arching through the sky towards them. It was too high for anyone to catch, sailing out of bounds beyond them. A shame. If only Travis had more confidence than sense, that would've been an easy interception.
Elliot shuffled back to the Tigers' huddle, eyes still full of surprise. The Tigers still had another chance, and importantly still had their timeout even if every unsuccessful play drained valuable seconds.
The next time they faced off, Ty met Elliot with a grin. A frown was Elliot's answer. Perhaps he had misjudged. He breathed deeply, expelling any bad thoughts, and closed his eyes to shut Tyrese out of his mind.
The ball was snapped. Elliot raced ahead, staggered by Ty's spear thrust. His muddled mind made him slow to raise his shield. He stumbled afterwards, thrown off course and unable to correct, Travis had to look elsewhere, seeking the TE.
JJ was there, smothering the TE's route outside. Each target was covered, except for the RB in the flat. Travis flicked the ball over, but the Dons rapidly swarmed, keeping the gain to a minimum, even keeping the RB inbounds as he fought for every yard. He didn't earn a first down, but at least made any potential field goal easier.
The clock rolled down as the Tigers faced fourth down. They called their final timeout with five seconds left, and sent the field goal unit out.
The crowd was disappointed, but all was not lost. Extra points on the board before the break was still a reason to celebrate, and a lead of sixteen, meaning two touchdowns with two two-point conversions just to tie, was much more comfortable than thirteen.
Coach Long saw the defensive stand as a win, and let the Dons know it as he welcomed them back to the sideline like heroes. Coach Hoang joined him, even trying to cheer up Ty. 'You did well out there, Samuels. It could've been a lot worse.'
'I should've had an interception,' Ty grumbled, taking his seat.
Bella glanced across the bench, then bounded over to her father's side, tugging at his sleeve. 'Ice the Kicker,' she said.
Coach Long smiled at her and nodded. 'My little prodigy.' He ruffled her hair, causing her to blush and bat his hand away. Icing the Kicker was a smart tactic, and with their remaining timeouts—which would refill in the second half—it wouldn't cost the Dons a thing.
After the Tigers' timeout ended, the Dons watched the Tigers' Kicker prepare for the long field goal. Coach Long positioned himself near an official, watching closely, waiting for just the right moment, just before— 'Timeout!' he shouted, gesturing for one as well just before the ball was snapped.
Officials hurried onto the field, waving their arms and blowing their whistles even as the Kicker laid into the ball, sending it towards the uprights. The crowd gasped as it bounced off the left upright then slanted in through them. Their cheers quickly faded, however, as the officials got control of the situation and explained that the Dons had called timeout before the snap.
There was multiple confused pockets in the crowd as they were forced to watch the Tigers reset after another short delay. But that was the strategy known as "icing the kicker". Kicking in football was a delicate procedure, one that was a lot like clockwork. When it worked, it worked smoothly, flawlessly. Long Snapper, Placeholder, and Kicker all moving in harmonic unison.
However, throw a spanner into the mix, like disrupting the Kicker's built up rhythm, force him to cool down with another minute or two of downtime, all whilst the adrenaline from the first kick faded, and you could ruin the whole flow.
It didn't always produce the desired result of forcing a miss, but it was a cost- and risk-free endeavour.
The crowd booed after it sunk in that the points wouldn't count and the Tigers would have to retry the kick. Coach Long covered his ears, watching the Tigers' second attempt.
The snap was on target, the placement was fine, and the kick was strong. The ball sailed through the air, hooking left again, curling, bending. It slammed into the post once more, bouncing out instead of in.
More outcries of rage and despair fell from the crowd. Boos showered the Dons again. Ty soaked it in with a grin. It was good to know luck wasn't always on the Tigers' side.